


Immortals

by LilyCissa



Series: Sterek "Meet Ugly" [8]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Airsickness, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, M/M, adorable!derek, college!Stiles, fanboy!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 13:30:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3611841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyCissa/pseuds/LilyCissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek has to get on a plane for like 5 hours, and the biggest problem is that he's terribly afraid of flying into a giant metallic coffin. Fortunately, his 'single-serving' friend will help him out during the flight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Immortals

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for Tokiosunset.tumblr for the inspiration ! Here's the trigger sentence :
> 
> “This is a five-hour-long plane ride, we’re sitting together and you’re deathly afraid of flying” AU
> 
> I wanted to name that oneshot "Breathe" (by The Prodigy, I bet that you all found out most of my fanfictions titles are actually song titles; I'm so BAD at naming fics...) but as I wrote it, "Immortals" seemed appropriate. Don't freak out though, no one's dying in that fic. :3
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy it!

As he climbed into the 777, Derek couldn't help bu feel like it was his last day on earth. He entered the metal coffin making a long face and breathing heavily. People were packing into the airplane, and the feeling was almost smothering. Derek fought his rising anxiety to search for his seat, until he eventually found it already taken.

"Sorry but… that's my seat." he clumsily said to the teenager that was occupying it.

"Oh… I see. No problem. You prefer the window seat, then?"

"What…"

Oh no he didn't prefer that. At all. In fact, if that boy wanted to be by the window, he could have it. Derek shook his head.

"No that's fine. You can stay where you are… I'll manage with the alley seat."

"Oh thank you!" Derek looked puzzled that the boy seemed genuinely happy over such a trivial matter. "But…" the teenager went on, "don't you think it'll mess things up if the plane was to crash? I know that seat numbers are used to identify charred corpses and…"

Derek's face turned to a brand new shade of green. He closed his eyes, trying not to picture any of this boy's words.

"Oh my God, I'm scaring you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean… So you're what…? Airsick?"

 _Please, if there's someone out there, please make him shut up_ , thought Derek as he began to merge with his seat. That's when the commander announced the take off and stewards began their weird ritual dancing. Nothing could have brought more anxiety to an already panicking Derek.

"Hmmm… er… So why are you sitting on a five hours fly if you're deadly afraid of planes?"

_Does that brat never shut up?_

"No… No choice." Derek muttered. "An emergency."

"Oh I see. I'm Stiles, by the way. Stiles Stilinski."

"D… De… Derek. Derek Hale."

"Nice to meet you Derek. Despite the context."

Stiles stretched out a hand, but Derek was obviously too busy panicking to notice it.

"I see…"

The plane taxied on the lanes until it turned left and stopped. Derek tried not to look outside, but it was too late. Without any warning, the plane accelerated, sliding onto the tarmac like a fuse ready to go to the Moon. Stiles looked thrilled and smiled, but Derek was literally dying out of panic.

"Wow, let these alone, you're gonna ruin them with your nails…"

Derek didn't - couldn't - answer under the pressure of his own phobia. He was pale and greenish as a ghost, his light eyes contrasting even more with his dark hair and beard. He could have been Morticia Adams' brother it wouldn't have surprised Stiles to the least.

"Are you ok?" The boy tried, genuinely worried.

"Do I look like I'm ok to you?"

"No. Clearly not."

Stiles didn't know what to say, and couldn't reach the stewards as they were glued to their seat waiting for the plane to take off. Derek would have to wait, unfortunately.

"Here." He didn't know why, but maybe a little human contact could reassure the poor man. Stiles took his hand in his, holding it tightly as the plane took off at last. Derek's breath grew smoother as he let himself feel Stiles' warmth. Sure it was awkward, but effective. When finally the plane was in the air - how could such a heavy metal monster could  _fly_? - Stiles released his grip.

"Why did you do that?" Derek ventured.

"Don't know. But it worked, right?"

"Maybe…" He couldn't help but blush. When Stiles took his hand, Derek's thought had shifted to this unexpected contact, and for a split second forgot about the plane. That's how it worked, even though he couldn't bring himself to thank the boy for… holding his hand. It almost felt shameful.

 _Damn, the man is hot, and handsome, and adorable, and…_ , Stiles thought. However, still troubled by the fact that he realized a few weeks ago that he might be gay, he tried not to dwell on such thoughts.

"So why are you going to Sacramento?" he asked, looking for a distraction, both for him and for Derek.

"None of your business."

His voice sounded more assured, so Stiles smiled. Even if he just not-answered his question. Ok, that was a private matter, but… Derek was being rude.

"I'm going for summer break from college."

Well, Derek didn't ask, but Stiles still felt like he had to answer. Usually, giving unwanted informations was a good way to get some back. Derek was unusual though.

"You're going to college? How old are you?" He was sincerely surprised, opening his big hazel eyes in disbelief.

"Twenty-one since May." He looked really pleased with himself. "I do look younger, don't you think?"

Derek rolled his eyes. Yeah, he did look like he was fifteen but he wouldn't give Stiles the pleasure to put it in words.

"And you? You look like you're like… Thirty-five. But I bet you're younger."

"Twenty-six." he replied, pissed off.

"Must be the beard. A beard always makes you look like a daddy."

Derek almost chocked on his saliva. Was he really calling him a 'daddy'? What the f…

The seatbelt sign went off with a small bip, and stewards got up. As Stiles unlocked his belt, Derek hesitate to do the same and eventually did. He didn't like the idea to roam around in an airship 10 000 feet from the ground that could be failing at anytime. Once more, Stiles must have noticed Derek's fear on his face.

"Don't you worry, a plane is the most secure way to travel. Compared to the numbers of passengers and the time spent in it, it has the smallest count of accidents. Chill out."

"Maybe, but when accidents happen, you die. There's no shades of grey."

"Well… Not alwaaaaays." Stiles had a hard time to admit that if the plane crashed, they didn't have a chance to survive it. So he played the distraction card. "Speaking of shades of grey…"

Derek turned his head to the not-so-teenager and cast him a death glare.

"Ok. You didn't like the movie. Or the book. I don't know. Fine, totally fine by me. I mean, neither did I. Total crap. Weird so-called-romance and what about that capitalist-lined way of thinking, really?"

"Are you always talking that much?" Derek was clearly annoyed by Stiles logorrhea.

"Oh… Don't know, maybe?" For once second, he remained silent, giving the impression that Derek had won. Well, not really. "So, what kind of books do you like?"

"I don't read." The man answered with a annoyed tone.

"And movies?"

"Do we have to talk?"

"I don't but you might. I think that if you're not doing something - like talking - you'll think about how you're in a plane and how much it freaks you out. So you need to focus on something else, anything. Could be me. No one ever focus on me anyway so I took the chance to make it change."

Derek wanted to argue, but the feeling that Stiles was strangely right shut him up. He didn't say a word then.

"Am I right?" Stiles asked, waiting for Derek to nod. He didn't, at least physically. The post-teen knew that he agreed. "So, what are you favorite movie? Mine is Star Wars, and literally all of the original series. The prelogy doesn't even exist, as Hayden Christensen's talent."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "I saw him in other movies and he's not that bad. His Anakin is what you got when you put actors in the middle of green and blue wasteland without any real set whatsoever."

"You have a point. Maybe. But you can't defend a character like Jar Jar Binks, do you?"

"How could I? He's responsible for the creation of the Empire."

"Wow, I think that you may be blaming him too much on that one…" Stiles replied with a amused smile.

"Remember when he was in the Senate? And what he did?"

Stiles' lips parted as his memories were shuffling in his head. "Right… you're right. Hey… You're good." He uselessly added, making Derek feel ill-at-ease again. "No… No I didn't mean… I wasn't expecting to be sitting just next to a desperately airsick and damn hot Star Wars expert. Did I say  _damn hot_? I said it. Oh my God what's wrong with you brain? Why can't you just function normally like anyone else's? Well maybe not like Justin Bieber's but…"

Derek interrupted him. "Hey, Stiles, it's Stiles, isn't it?" He nodded in silence. "Ok," Derek went on, "That's ok, I'm not getting angry for you calling me 'damn hot'. It's quite flattering, to be honest."

Stiles narrowed his eyes, puzzled. "Are you gay?"

"No!" Derek immediately defended himself, before realizing that the way he said that was awfully offensive. "I mean, I do like women."

"So you're not sure?"

"Why do you even care?"

"Because I might be gay myself and honestly I don't know how to handle that." He paused. "I shouldn't have said that. Not that quickly and not that way. You know what… just forget it!"

Derek lowered his head then stared at Stiles; he was genuinely caring and that made him even more adorable. "You need to talk about it?"

"I don't know. Maybe…"

"Then go. If you have to get something off your chest, go ahead. In less than five hours we'll be strangers again."

The words hurt Stiles more than he would have imagined. Derek was right: once they get to Sacramento, they'll part never to see each other again. The tragedy of it struck him deeper than he would have thought possible. How did Tyler Durden put it? Oh yes: ' _Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The people I meet on each flight? They're single-serving friends._ ' Or was it one of the nameless narrator wandering thoughts throughout the movie? Stiles couldn't remember, but that wasn't even close to important. What was important is that sudden unexplainable sadness that took over his heart.  _What the hell, feelings? I didn't even know him!_

"What's wrong Stiles?"

"Oh… nothing. That's ok. Nothing to say really, whether it's about me, my potential gayness or the fact that we'll surely never got to see each other again."

"Oh that's the reason why?" Derek looked surprised. "I never knew people who get attached so fast."

"I don't." Stiles replied quickly. Too quickly to be believed.

"You do. Really? Do you like me?"

Derek never came to think about whether he was attractive to gay guys or not, but he had enough feedback from his feminine conquests to know he wasn't ugly.

"I think… maybe." Stiles admitted. "I mean, you're handsome and all, and most important thing, capable of holding an interesting conversation about Star Wars. That's pretty rare."

"You're kidding…" Derek was laughing though.

"Oh no I'm not! So, please Mister, entertain me with your extensive knowledge of fictional universes."

"Ok… Hmm… I bet you've watched every single Marvel movie released…?"

Stiles' heart missed a beat, only to go thumping harder and faster as he was pouring his fanboyism onto Derek. The talk was so heated that he forgot about the time, the plane and his airsickness. Focusing on Stiles and his passions was really working. And bonus: he got to know a beautiful person.

Then, the commander announced the landing.

Stiles fell silent in the middle of his plea for Thomas from the Maze Runner, and how his feelings for Teresa had slowly died throughout the series, drowned in all the mind-fucking trust-issues-inducing WICKED trials. So, the flight would be over soon, and what must happen would happen.

"You know," Derek said with a purring low voice, "we don't have to… not-see each other after the landing. I mean… When we arrive, as soon as we're given the permission to turn on our phones…"

"… Are you asking for my number?"

"Maybe." He blushed a little. "If that doesn't bother you."

"Of course it doesn't…! But… You're not…"

Derek shrugged. "I do like women, that's all I know. Never said I didn't like men. Well… in fact… I kinda like you."

Stiles' heart didn't miss a beat, but the whole music sheet. He searched for something to say, interrupted by a little turbulence that shook the plane and brought panic back on Derek's face.

"Hey, here. Hold my hand."

Their fingers entangled on the armrest, Stiles began to hum a song.

"What are you singing?" Derek asked, trying to focus on anything but the landing.

"Aaaaah… You don't want to know."

"Really? Please tell me it's a not a love song…"

"With a certain point of view… I don't even know why I'm singing it right now… My brain is such a pain in the ass…!"

"You do put your brain in strange places…" It was so stupid they laughed. "So, what song is it?"

"Have you watched Big Hero 6?"

"Oh no, not that song, you don't have the right, you can't!"

But it was too late: Stiles was clearly singing it, with all the ' _live with me forever now_ ' and ' _I try to picture me without you but I can't_ ' lyrics. Derek made a long face but eventually forgot about the plane. He was still picking on Stiles, telling him to shut up and that Tadashi's death was the most horrible thing that Disney had done to him since Mufasa's, when the plane's tires finally touched the ground.

Stiles smiled like a silly kid, proud with himself.

"So here we are, and you didn't panick. Don't I deserve a phone number…?"

Derek was about to grumble but couldn't resist the urge to just smile. When the plane stopped completely and they could finally turn on their phones, exchanging numbers was the first thing they did. In the airport, Stiles's dad and his best friend Scott were already waiting, as was Derek's uncle Peter.

"So that's it. Goodbye Stiles."

"Please call me."

He didn't say anything else as he parted from Derek to greet his family. Stiles hated goodbyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah. I just wanted to picture Stiles talking about Thomas. Dylan O'Brienception.  
> And fanboy!Stiles is just soooo cute '_'


End file.
